Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 — Wednesday, July 29, 2009, The Millen News
Opinions, yours and ours
The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett
As I was working on the minimum wage article for this week’s
newspaper, I could not help but recall the first full-time job I
had. It was in the purchasing department at then Look Products,
the window plant. I was paid $1.65 per hour and brought home
$53 weekly. My husband was working at then Bellcrest Homes,
the trailer plant, and brought home $80 weekly. That was in 1973.
The amounts seem minimal today, but back then, gas was 29
cents a gallon, and I could ride all week on $5. Our biggest ex
pense was the electric bill which ran between $13-$35 monthly,
dependent upon how much we used the air conditioner and heater.
We could stock the pantry for $25-$35 weekly, and television
was free with three channels from which to choose. And we still
had a few dollars leftover.
I came to work at The Millen News in 1975 for $2 per hour
and soon received a 50 cents raise, which put me making $100
weekly before taxes. That was big money back then!
Now, $100 probably won’t pay most monthly electric bills or
buy a week’s groceries. And it may take the full $100 to fill up
some vehicles with gas.
Times have changed, and I am told that is what life is about -
change. Sometimes, however, I look back at the “good old days”
and can’t help but think that things sure were a lot better back
then.
Happy birthday this week to: Frank Wilson, Aaron Tanner,
Amanda Elizabeth Bragg, Thomas Thompson, Lynn Saxon, Paula
Herrington, Darlene Gay, Ashley Burch and Craig Rowland.
Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Dr. and Mrs. Joe Grif
fin, Mr. and Mrs. Benny Mims, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Black and
Mr. and Mrs. Rew Herrmann.
Military Active Duty List: PV2 Jeremy Johnson, U.S. Army,
59 th Quartermaster Company, Ft. Carson, Colorado; Ronnie
Perryman, Charlie Troop, 108 th Calvary Division, 4 th Platoon,
Afghanistan; Lance Cpl. Adam Lanier, U.S. Marines, 8 th & I
Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.; E-4 Sr. Airman Roy Davis,
U.S. Air Force, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; Lance Cpl.
Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Baharia, Iraq; Sgt. Adam
Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Cpl. Lee Ogden,
U.S. Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA; E5 Petty Officer 2 nd Class
Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Naples, Italy; Senior Airman
Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart
Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Bossier, LA; SPC 4
Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt.
Donald Slade Burke, 735th Air Mobility Squadron Detachment
1 Commander, Richmond Royal Australian AFB, Richmond,
Australia; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade,
118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A.
Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Of
ficer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk,
Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer;
Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering
Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Bri
gade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel
Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea;
Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division,
A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine
Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Per
sian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart,
Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt.,
U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley,
Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and SPC
Charles “C.J.” Amerson, U.S. Army, Camp Adder, Iraq.
Letters policy
Letters to the editor of The Millen News are welcomed and
encouraged. These are pages of opinions, yours and ours.
The unsigned editorials generally appearing on the left side of
the editorial page represent the opinion of the newspaper and not
that of any one person on our staff. Personal columns represent
the opinions of the writers whose names appear on them and are
not to be considered the opinion of this newspaper, its manage
ment or owners. Letters to the editor voice the opinions of the
newspaper’s readers.
The Millen News reserves the right to edit any and all portions
of a letter. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters must
include the signature, address and phone number of the writer to
allow our staff to authenticate its origin. Letters should be lim
ited to 400 words.
The deadline for letters is Friday at noon. You can email letters
to themillennews@yahoo.com.
Chartered 1903
The Millen News is published weekly by Chalker
Publishing Company, 601 E. 6th St., Waynesboro, Ga.
The Millen News
856 East Cotton Ave. • Millen, Ga. 30442
Phone: (478) 982-5460 • FAX: (478) 982-1785
Periodical postage paid at Millen, Georgia.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Millen News
P.O. Box 909
Millen, GA 30442
USPS No. 349-660
Walter Harrison Frank M. Edenfield
Editor 1946-1985 Editor
1985-1998
Roy F. Chalker Jr Publisher
Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager
Deborah Bennett Editor
Lavonna Drawdy Advertising Composition
Subscription Rates (Includes tax):
In Jenkins County $23.00
Elsewhere in Georgia $26.00
Outside of Georgia $29.50
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Last spring I wrote a letter
about the Millen and Jenkins
County High School baseball
teams in 1958-59. Since, I’ve
had people asking me more
about these teams, especially
the Millen team.
The success of the 1959
Millen team that won the first
Ogeechee League Champion
ship led to a high degree of
play. When the original mem
bers began to go on with their
families and jobs, their ranks
were filled with equally tal
ented players. This really took
off when Mr. Harrison Parker
began to get involved. He and
Rudolph Rabitsch spent
money and time to keep up a
high level of play. The suc
cess of this team lasted for 10
years.
I can’t list all that this team
won, but it did play for a na
tional championship. The
original members were the
best in this area which led to
players from other places to
fill their void. These players
were ex-pros, future pros, col
lege All-Americans, outstand
ing college players and etc.
To say who was the best at
any position would be hard to
say for there were so many. A
few that would come to mind
was that Ed Brown was the
best pitcher; Skeeter Griffin
was the best player; and
Tommy Thomas was the best
all-around player.
One of these players had
three sons drafted by major
league teams, two in one year.
Another player played in the
NFL with the Cleveland
Browns as defensive back.
The most unusual was that
two players were All-Ameri
cans in two sports in college.
*¥* KtiUm Ub-M-Slude Sadwt
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Some others became very
successful in the business
world. Pierce Blanchard and
E.G. Meybohm to mention a
couple.
Sincerely,
Butch Joiner
Millen
Dear Editor:
My family and I were in
volved in a car accident on
Friday, July 17, 2009 in
Screven County. Our truck
ended up rolling over in a
ditch with the driver’s side up
in the air.
After we got her out, we re
alized our daughter was hurt.
She was lying on the driver’s
door while in the air. A very
nice and courageous man who
is well-known here in Millen
drove his truck down into that
ditch beside our truck so that
it would not turn over with
Chelsea on it.
That man that our family
wants to thank hugely is Mr.
James Ellis Saxon. Thank
you, from the bottom of our
hearts.
God bless you!
Sincerely,
Keith and Judith Taylor
Millen
Call Keith or John!
We will remove them and
clean up where they sat.
KEITH EVANS
JOHN MILLER
Home
478-982-0331
Cell
706-871-9560
East Georgia Clinic
of Chiropractic
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Dr. Randall C, Litwiller
403 Shadrack St.Waynesboro
706-554-9237
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 AM-N*on & 2-6 PM